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Nashville Review: Family Ties

There was some mixed sentiment regarding the ending of last week's Nashville, as Lamar's fate hung in the balance. Well, like it or not, let it be known that it takes more than two consecutive heart attacks and some hemorrhaging to take down a man like Lamar Wyatt!

In "My Heart Would Know" Lamar's hospital stay provided material for a bunch of intersecting storylines. It also provided fodder for my two favorite scenes of the night.

Family emergencies and brushes with death have a way of making people own up to otherwise unexpressed feelings. We saw a ton of that tonight, along with certain people stepping up in unexpected ways.

Despite their years of feuding, Rayna would never leave Lamar in Nashville to fly back to a show. She's a professional, but she's also just a good human being with priorities. Family is family. And I was so glad that Deacon told Juliette where to shove it when she said that Rayna wasn't his family. Those two have been to hell and back in their relationship and that scene when Deacon showed up at the hospital to wake Rayna didn't even need dialogue to have an emotional impact on me.

My other favorite scene in the hospital was Rayna speaking to Lamar when she thought he was unconscious. She didn't know why he resented her and fought with her for all of these years. She knew she took after her mother and went for a life he didn't approve of, but she never really understood it. It took Lamar's visceral reaction to seeing Watty for Rayna to finally know the truth:

Watty was having an affair with Rayna's mom and the night she died, she had her bags packed to run off with him. Now it all makes sense.

I just wanted to say that I wish you had told me about all this, instead of you being so angry with me all of these years. Cause that’s what it felt like, it just felt like you were mad at me all the time and I realized that you were probably just mad at mom. And I don’t blame you for that, I just feel like we missed our life together… | permalink

That sentence "I just feel like we missed our life together," wow. Excuse me, I need a tissue! The question now is: Will Lamar's brush with death and Rayna's knowledge of the truth change their relationship? I feel like somebody has to continue to be the villain and Lamar does play it well. However, I believe the mark of a good character is when you can love them one week and hate them the next. Kinda how I feel about Juliette!

There's no doubt that Hayden Panettiere has done an awesome job of bringing Juliette to life. These past few months I finally felt like I understood Juliette more and saw a more benevolent side of her. Then she and her mom butt heads of the very shady Dante and she's back to her old ways. She doesn't understand family emergencies in the way most other people would. She's always had a horrible relationship with the only family she has, her mother Jolene.

Juliette took Rayna's absence as an opportunity to throw in more songs and plug her new album. Now she's hired Dante as her manager? I absolutely don't trust him. Man, he even had me feeling bad for Avery this week! When does anyone ever feel bad for Avery? Let the record show that he did knock several times!

As for Avery's ex Scarlett, I'm glad that Gunnar is finally feeling a bit like his old self and was able to support her in signing her deal. I'm just a little worried about how he came to feel like his old self. That close call with the train was pretty scary! Maybe Will isn't the best influence after all. At least I enjoyed his performance on stage with Scarlett.

What did you all think of this week's episode of Nashville? What will Teddy do with the knowledge that Peggy was the leak to the tabloids? Will Lamar change after his heart attacks? Is Dante trustworthy? It looks like we're in for a bit of a hiatus, so hit the comments!

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Juliette be warned: Dante will take all your money! I liked Dante up until last night, however he is a jerk and I can see him have Juliette alienate everyone in her life (it started with Deacon), and then he will take her money and run and she will be left alone again!I thought Lamar would wake up a changed man, that did not happen. However now that Rayna knows the truth maybe they can mend fences. However I still do not think he should be forgiven for the awful way he treated her!I still can not stand Teddy and I hope he dumps Peggy now that he found out about what she did.Gunnar is getting on my nerves a little bit. I actually think Scarlett and Will would make a better duo and maybe even couple.When Deacon come to the hospital, I was so happy. Was it just me or did it look like Deacon wanted to say more to Rayna before he left. Then when he should up to see his girlfriend and she was like You missed me and he said yes, it really was not the reason! I hope for a Deacon and Rayna reunion by seasons end.

Rayna is so perfect and her life got even more put back together in this episode that it sort made me not like Rayna. As far as Dante is concerned, his name says it all (Dante's Inferno?!) and forewarns of danger. I think Juliette does all of it just b/c of Deacon to either get his attention or because he doesn't give her attention. With her it's all about Deacon and I like Juliette as a character. Rayna has it together and I wish Juliette would end up with Deacon because she needs someone the most. All I have to say is where would Rayna, Juliette, Scarlett, and Gunnar be without Deacon. If it wasn't for Deacon they would all be ALOT worse off. I like Gunnar but it seems like Deacon is everyone's white knight.

Debbie Bee•April 11, 2013 16:10

The situation between Juliette and Dante is troubling, I think we all know where it's going. He's gonna rip her off, cause her to have a break up with several band members, and he may introduce drugs to Juliette, as a way to control both her and her business. The season finale should be something. I'll go out on a limb and guess: Juliette's mother dies, causing Juliette to blame herself and take drugs, prescribed by Dante.

kayliej•April 11, 2013 14:20

I loved that scene with rayna and lamar when she thought he couldnt hear her. she understands now, and i feel horrible for her.. what that must have been like to one minute have a dad who loves you and the next hates to even look at you. as good of a bad guy as lamar is i hope this cann start to salvage their relationship. and i love deacon, just from the sound of her voice he knew she needed him. i hope this doesnt ruin the relationship with his vet friend but i feel it will...Can someone just smack julliette already? she is such a spoiled little bitch! her mom has tried and tried since she came out of rehab. they didnt even pay her any mind when she said she stole the bottle! i feel for jolene. i feel like she can do her best and get clean and live well and juliette will always hate her. dante is gonna screw her over. baaad. im torn on the neighbor. he seems like a good guy but at the same time idk. but im so happy gunner is gunner again! i love him and scarlett together so much! and i am actually startin to feel avery. hes never been a bad guy but just not the right one for scarlett. glad deacon stuck up for him. hopefully he can keep moving in the right direction.

*dries tears* the episode was emotional and was carefully scripted that it felt real. As much as I am happy that Deacon moved on, his heart and Rayna's heart are joined together and no one ca n come in between. So sad that she did miss all those years with her dad but that's what happens a lot it seems. the dad was reminded of the love of his life every time he looked and spoke to her. it's unfair but what can you do when you're in love. Juilette is going to get her comeuppance sooner than later, that dante is a shark and now he's her manager that means that he controls EVERYTHING! where will this leave deacon and everyone else..... hope scarlett and gunnar are going to be alright and this little extreme sport stint isn't going to cause problems in the future...